Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a method for controlling the image forming apparatus, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
In image forming apparatuses such as a digital copying machine, there are mainly two types of document reading methods. One is a method (an optical system moving method) of placing a document on a platen to fix a document position and reading an image by reciprocating an optical system to scan the document. The other is a method (a feeding-reading method) of fixing the position of an optical system and reading an image while conveying a document by a document feeding unit (a document feeder (DF)).
Conventionally, in the image forming apparatuses such as the digital copying machine, even a blank page having no image printed thereon has been subjected to print processing when a read document is output, causing unnecessary paper consumption. Thus, there has been developed a blank page detection technology for suppressing unnecessary paper consumption by removing pages determined to be blank (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-178377).
In the conventional technology, irrespective of what number-th page the read document is, printing has been started after output of a result of determination as to whether the read document is blank.
When a surface of a document placed on the DF is blank, a user is likely to recognize that the document is blank.
However, in the conventional technology, even for the first page, printing has been started after output of blank determination result, and thus the printing start has been delayed.